Torn
by sassified
Summary: "Promise me something" Maria said. "What?" the younger twin asked. "Promise me that we'll never let anything tear us apart." She said holding out her hand. "Of course I promise you that" That was over 5 years ago when Maria and Alice were younger. However a strong rivalry grows between the twins as one feels neglected and the other is praised far too much. Full Sum inside.


**_Summary: _"Promise me something" Maria said. "What?" the younger twin asked, her eyes wide. "Promise me that we'll never let a guy tear us apart." She said holding out her hand. "Of course I promise you that" The girls smiled at each other as they did their secret handshake. That was over 10 years ago when Maria and Alice were younger. However a strong rivalry grows between the twins as one feels neglected and the other is praised far too much. Things get even worse when Alice meets Maria's best friend, Jasper. How will Maria deal with it? Will she come between them or find happiness somewhere else? Will Maria ever find her place in this world?**

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Hate is a funny thing. We are told that it is a strong word that needs to be used wisely. At seven years old, Maria hated any kind of vegetable. At ten years old, Maria hated the ballet lessons she was forced to attend. At fifteen years old, Maria hated high school. Now at seventeen, she hated her twin sister, Alice.

Things hadn't always been this way between the pair. Maria can recall times where they would happily play with each other, when they would run together, win together, when they were inseparable. However, things people change and Maria was not about to deal with anymore bullshit.

Maria sat in her room; the past ten years playing in hear head, echoes of her sister's triumphs and her own failures. Alice was her baby sister. _The better sister_, she sneered in her head.

Maria picked up a frame that was on her nightstand. She let out a sigh as she stared at the image. Alice and Maria had been six years old at the time, and they had been on their way to school for the very first time. Both girls were smiling widely, their hands intertwined tightly, and their cheeks rosy red from excitement. Their older brother Emmett stood beside Maria, his arm hanging casually around her as he shot the camera a lazy smile.

Shaking her head of the memories, she got up and walked across the room. Things had changed since then; Maria and Alice were no longer as close as they used to be. The only thing that tied them together was their blood. Maria hadn't talked to Alice for a good five years now, and she planned on keeping things that way.

Alice had always been the family favorite; she had stolen everyone's hearts the minute she was born. She had been a tiny, frail, perfect little thing, and everyone who met her felt the need to pamper and protect her. She was what everyone called the "perfect combination of both her parents". Her father's hazel golden eyes and button nose were present, but she had her mother's raven hair and high cheekbones. She was a beautiful thing even at only a few moments old. Maria resembled her mother more than anything, but had inherited her father's warm chocolate brown hair. Alice's skin was a few shades lighter than her own and she was way smaller than Maria had been. If you didn't pay attention to the smaller details, you could barely tell the two were related, hell you could barely tell Maria was related to Emmett either. She had always been an outcast, even in her own family.

Alice had been a miracle, because both twins were premature and had small lung problems; however Alice had caught an infection and had to stay longer in the hospital. Even then, at only a few hours old, Maria had begun to live in the shadows of her sister.

As the twins grew older, Alice continued to prove to be the "better" twin. At seven years old, the twins began to take dance lessons. Alice took dance like duck to water while Maria struggled to keep up. Both twins inherited their father's love for music and his singing talent, but Maria knew she couldn't compare to Alice's charisma. Even at a young age, Maria knew that Alice was smarter, prettier, more talented, and just better than Maria.

Alice was not stuck up or bratty, much to Maria's dislike, instead Alice was compassionate and easy to get along with. She could recall all the times Alice had shared her dessert with her because Maria would have gotten in trouble and had been sent to bed without it. She could recall the times Alice had taken the blame for Maria's crazy ideas.

Maria huffed; she hated her sister's humbleness. It made it nearly impossible to hate her but she would die trying. However, she recalled how quickly her family had dropped her when their precious little Alice had been asked to attend a dance school in New York.

Up until then, Alice and Maria were stuck like glue. The girls had been in the sixth grade and Maria had found her place in the world. She had joined the volleyball team, and for the first time, her family was piled up in the midst of a crowd cheering for _her_ not for Alice or Emmett when he played on the football team. She was so proud of herself for finally doing something that Alice couldn't do.

She was heartbroken when Alice received an offer for a school in New York; they were impressed with her dancing skills and had offered her a spot. Her parents were so thrilled that their perfect little daughter's talent had finally been recognized.

Her mother owned her own interior design company, which she left in the hands of Elizabeth Masen, her childhood best friend. Her father made quick arrangements to work in a firm in New York. Emmett was excited to finally get out of Forks and live in a bigger city. It seemed that everyone wanted to leave, everyone but Maria.

When Mimi, her maternal grandmother came for a visit, Maria thought it was a blessing from above. It was Mimi and Alice, she snorted at the irony of Alice helping her, who had pleaded on her behalf. Mimi volunteered to stay with Maria until the Brandon's returned. Her parents had eventually agreed with Mimi's reassurance that Maria would be taken care of just fine. Actually, it hadn't even been Mimi who had fully convinced them, it had been Alice. Alice had told her parents that Maria needed to stay, because it was in Forks that Maria was embracing who she really was. Alice had explained that Forks was what her sister needed. So after much grumbling from her father, they had all packed and left the house, leaving her behind.

Maria recalled the night before Alice left, the gratitude she felt knowing that her sister understood her. Alice had entered Maria's room, a small smile gracing her face. "I'm going to miss you so much Ria"

Maria had smiled at the sound of her childhood nickname. She pulled her younger sister into an embrace. "I love you Ali, you and I, we'll be best friends forever."

Both sisters' eyes were glossy with unshed tears, both furiously trying to stay strong for the other**. **"Promise me something" Maria said. "What?" the younger twin asked, her eyes wide. "Promise me that we'll never let anything tear us apart." She said holding out her hand. "Of course I promise you that." Alice's had been without hesitation.

Maria had smiled warmly at her sister, "I'm going to miss you baby sis," Maria teased; "now I won't have anyone to protect from the big scary kids." They had fallen into a fit of giggles before sighing.

Alice had left Maria's room that night saying "I'm only three minutes younger" before disappearing around the corner and into her own room.

It had been the last conversation the twins had face to face. Alice had called many times to tell Maria about her fabulous life in New York. She loved her dance school and she made so many friends. She loved the house in New York, she loved the city, she loved the people, and Maria was getting jealous. She regretted not joining her family even though her mother had begged her to come.

Shortly after Alice left, her life was going in a downward spiral. All of the friends she had, slowly started slipping away. Without Alice to hold them together, they soon realized they had nothing in common with Maria. She was often ignored in conversations and excluded from group activities. She was never invited to parties or to hang out with anybody. She spent her time in junior high miserable, with no one to talk to or to relate to.

Alice's life was quite the opposite; she had an abundance of friends. Maria at first had been eager to talk to her sister, she was constantly invited to New York for holidays, but she never went. Soon, she started to hate her younger sister.

Maria wasn't sure exactly what had caused her to hate her sister so much, but she had a feeling it had to do with the fact that she still lived in her sister's shadow although her sister was miles away. All throughout town, people talked about Alice. She had won a dance competition the summer before their freshman year, and Mimi had made sure everyone in town knew about it.

Maria had felt so misunderstood. It seemed to her that everyone believed she was a disappointment. Maria had scored a few trophies in volleyball but she had never made it to nationals and won. Maria had once believed that Mimi understood what she was going through, the burden of being under her sister's shadow. Mimi had assured her that Maria was beautiful, that she was perfect the way she was. Mimi was not completely under Alice's spell.

That had changed the summer before their sophomore year, when Maria went to visit her parents and Alice came to Forks. Alice had spent the entire summer at home with Mimi, helping her cook and clean, learning how to sew, and doing everything that Maria had never been good at. By the time Maria had returned, Mimi was crushed that Alice had to leave so soon. Maria had been devastated to learn that Mimi was under Alice's spell as well. After that, Maria had refused to talk to Alice anytime she called.

Maria would've kept things that way forever, if Mimi hadn't gotten so sick. Maria had been out with Jasper Whitlock, her best friend whom she had met in her freshman year, cheering him on at a football game when she had gotten the news.

She had been sitting in a pew at half time, waiting for Jasper to come and greet her when she saw Angela Weber's mother approach her. She remembered Ms. Weber's soft voice calling her name, telling her that she had some bad news. Mimi had suffered a heart attack during a church service and was at the hospital at the moment. She told her that Maria's family was flying in to see Mimi, but they wouldn't make it until the following day. Maria had been in hysterics; Ms. Weber had held her tightly and whispered into her ear, gently rocking her.

She had stayed with Ms. Weber until her father showed up to pick her up. Her mother had cried and refused to leave Mimi's side. Emmett was coming a few days later with Alice, he had college finals and she couldn't miss her own dance finals. Maria had enjoyed those few days; it was just her parents with her. It wasn't under the best circumstances, but her parents had dedicated themselves solely to Mimi and Maria.

Mimi had been out of the hospital when Alice and Emmett arrived. Maria was surprised at first when the two showed up at her door. She barely recognized them. Emmett was tall, taller her father and far taller than the small raven haired girl standing next to him. "RIA!" He shouted, engulfing her in a hug, lifting her off her feet and crushing her to his chest. "I missed you little sis," he smiled at her, flashing her his dimples. She couldn't help but smile back, Emmett had always been a goof and always knew what to say whenever she and Alice were upset. She turned her eyes to the small girl standing next to him. Alice smiled shyly at Maria. "Hi Ria," she said.

Maria was shocked, as a little girl Alice had always been pretty but now she was absolutely beautiful. Her long black hair had been traded for a short pixie cut that accentuated her hazel golden eyes. Her eyes wide and eye lashes curled to a perfection. Her body was lean and you could tell that she was flexible. She had grown, but was still smaller than the average person. She was the living teenage idol. Maria was livid.

Maria knew she was pretty, she had been told so many times before. But Alice looked like a girl out of a magazine cover and she wasn't even wearing anything other than chap stick. She could do nothing but offer her sister a small fake smile of her own before her parents pushed her out of the way to greet them. Maria returned to her room and stayed there all night.

Her mother stayed behind, taking care of Mimi and Maria while the rest of them flew back to New York to continue their studies. It was on late July day, when Maria came to find her mother on the couch crying. She had instantly been worried. Her mother had turned to her, grabbed her hands, and told her that Mimi had passed away. The funeral and everything that came with it had been hard for Maria and she knew she wouldn't have gotten through it without Jasper.

Now that Mimi was gone, her mother decided it was best that the Brandon's returned to Forks once and for all. Emmett would not be returning, he had chosen to continue studying at NYU, but Alice had decided to study her senior year at Forks High, and so without a doubt, her family had packed up again and was on their way back. Maria was filled with dread at the thought of her sister coming back and pushing Maria back into the sidelines all over again.

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**A/N: Hey! I'm glad to be back and writing again! I know a few things were unrealistic and it seemed a little rushed. Obviously parents would not drop everything and fly across the country because their kid got into some school. However, it was told this way because it was the way it appeared to Maria. Also, obviously parents would not so overly favor a child, but its always been this way in Maria's mind. She views Alice as competition because she's insecure and it took her time to find things she was good at. Hopefully you enjoyed it so far, it was a little rushed because I wanted to start right away with Alice coming back and the growing rivalry. Next chapter is halfway done, maybe some encouraging reviews will get it published a little faster, hint hint ;)**


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